. >> president obama arranged a new year's deal to elude the fiscal cliff. republicans and democrats both consented to the deal. now neither party is happy with the outcome. democrats complain that obama caved. because the president's plan allows george w. bush's tax cuts to become permanent. for those making less than $400,000 a year. these democrat critics fear that obama's second term instead of being quote, unquote bold will be quote, unquote cautious as his first term. and on the right, republicans moan and grown and say that -- groan and say that obama is demeaning in the way he deals with house speaker john boehner. hold on, says columnist rockman. we expect too much of obama he says because in the united states, we subscribe to the quote, unquote myth of the imperial presidency. other transformational democratic presidents such as fdr and lbj, rockman says, have substantial democratic majorities in both the senate and in the house to enact their landmark legislation. obama in contrast has had to work with a narrow democratic majority in the senate an